Artistic Approach

Bobbin lace sculpture artist and lace-maker

When lace was in the forefront of fashion, lace-makers were always seeking to be creative and innovative in the designs they developed for this openwork fabric. Those were the heydays of lacemaking. My wish is to contribute to the further development of bobbin lace, a multiple-thread weaving technique whose possibilities are infinite.

As soon as I started braiding threads as a creative endeavour, I sensed the possibility of working in three dimensions. My first attempts, however, proved to be disappointing and so I started experimenting with metal wire. The braiding of wire set me on the path of three dimensional lacemaking, which led me to rethink the technique of bobbin lace and to create patterns and textures that have not been tried before. Using all types of wire and of diameters (copper wire in its natural colour or with a patina, enameled or varnished, electrical wire, gold or silver wire), I began to make jewellery, sculpture and objects of an expressive nature.

I have been interested in textiles ever since my childhood and when I discovered bobbin lace it was literally love at first sight. The ingenuity of this technique, which is practiced with rudimentary tools and needs very few materials, allows me not only great creative freedom, but it also fills me with wonder: I find in it a sense of fulfilment and a feeling of peacefulness. The tireless repetition of the same movement, the painstaking work by which a material is transformed, induces a meditative state of mind that gives me a sense of stability by standing in sharp contradistinction to the frantic rhythm of contemporary life.

Despite the innovative aspect of my work and the use of wire, which can be perceived as a cold material, I try to preserve the refined and delicate nature of old-fashioned lace. The creative process of each piece, be it jewellery or an expressive object, begins with a concept, which determines the form of the work and the choice or the creation of a texture or a motif. Each work is the result of a free and personal adaptation of the technique of lacemaking. The expressive objects convey my concerns in light of my thoughts on the human condition. Although these concerns are mine, they acquire a universal dimension when the objects are gazed upon by the viewer. Some of these objects deal with human relationships and with contemporary social realities.

Bobbin lace is a highly creative technique whose full potential is far from having been explored. By inventing new motifs for unprecedented forms, my work endeavours to contribute to the development of its rich artistic possibilities.

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Bobbin Lace

Bobbin lace is one of many different techniques of lace making. It is woven thread by thread, intricately crossed successively. The threads are wound onto wooden bobbins of various shapes and forms. To produce bobbin lace it is necessary to work with a bobbin pillow to which a rigid pattern is fixed and the lace is created using pins. The pattern guides the lace-maker as to the placement of the pins which hold the threads in place to achieve the design desired. Bobbin lace is an art that cannot be rushed, but when completed is very rewarding.